The harness straps device is the 34 foot tower. The lateral drift trainer is identical to the lateral drift apparatus from Benning. This article tells the story:http://www.vance.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123072088.
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No More Redneck Parasailing?!?
- Thread starter redmidgrl
- Start date
The harness straps device is the 34 foot tower. The lateral drift trainer is identical to the lateral drift apparatus from Benning. This article tells the story:http://www.vance.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123072088.
They should replace it with an Aero-3 test.
When I went through AOCS in 1983, we did overwater parasailing not redneck/overland. The reason - too many injuries NPQing people from flying and the Navy. It was a recent change then (within the past couple of years or so) and we were still hearing horror stories of shattered bones.
They also justified it by saying most ejections were overwater so it made more sense to do the training there.
Worked for me because I spent 5 months stashed at water survival as a parasailing demonstrator and boat officer. I'd demo the parasailing on Tuesdays and play boat-o for the helo pick-ups on Wednesdays. Grueling job and schedule, but someone had to do it.
They also justified it by saying most ejections were overwater so it made more sense to do the training there.
Worked for me because I spent 5 months stashed at water survival as a parasailing demonstrator and boat officer. I'd demo the parasailing on Tuesdays and play boat-o for the helo pick-ups on Wednesdays. Grueling job and schedule, but someone had to do it.
Point taken ... and it sounds like the training HAL Pilot went through might still have a place in API (and not just the thing you do in the pool but doing it out in the water while hangin in the chute.) A way to get the training while avoiding situations like you stated. Then again, if I find myself hangin from any chute, breakin my hip/leg/knee/head is the least of my worries ...
You realize that you are telling this to an aviator who has to get up at 0-dark-thirty to do body hardening, etc so that the color of his belt is to the Corps liking, right?
She is a friend of mine and there is even a video of her breaking her leg. Long recovery, but she did get an up-chit many months later and went on to primary, so whoever said she is still NPQ is lying.
Oh god- Video...::cringes:: Good to know she's back up tho!!
There was a team of safety observers observing our class (08-36) during the redneck parasailing so perhaps they gave a less than favorable report.
It was a blast, but very obviously dangerous. I thought "OK, cool. It'll be just like the practice PLFs, only with a jump". When I hit the ground, and PLF-ed, my knee promptly went into my face and one of the koch fittings smacked me in the head. I then realized how easily you could break bones if your fall was done improperly. The second "unassisted" fall was even more violent.
Cool to experience, probably more tame than a real ejection/bailout, and still very dangerous. Glad I did it, but understand why safety is nixing it.
Cool to experience, probably more tame than a real ejection/bailout, and still very dangerous. Glad I did it, but understand why safety is nixing it.
I'm not singling you out but your example provides a good point. To me, it sounds like you didn't land properly otherwise your knee wouldn't have hit you in the face.
I would be willing to bet people who've gotten busted up didn't fall correctly.
Ya the first fall was a wakeup call that I wasn't landing in a pit of mulch.
Second one was better. First one is where the truck tows you in step-downs to prevent you from coming down too quick, to give you a feel for it. Second one they release you. Had I done the first landing on the second go, I'd have broken my nose.
Second one was fine, but still hurt smacking the deck even when done correctly (not to mention the metal fitting meeting skull)
I'd agree. An HM2 came along with my API class for the parasailing, and left with a broken leg. I didn't see it, but the guys running the event said it looked like he got a little scared at the last second. Instead of following his training, he forgot it, and decided to land with his knees locked...
In 1998, they were still doing the water parasailing. Great time for all.
The morning that we went down to Foley for this evolution, I saw some people that should have seriously F'd themselves up on the touchdown...nobody was seriously hurt. Later in the day, we had a serious squall line come through real quick without warning and some guy got blown across the field and into the trees because he couldn't get his koch fittings undone....in the middle of a lightning storm. I can't remember, but dosen't the line stay attached to the pickup truck pulling you??
We did two runs, the first one with the line still attached to the truck, the second they disconnect it and let you fall untethered.